Well-drilling apparatus.



w. A. MECAUSLAND.

WELL DRILLING APPARATUS.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.26, I915- I A TTOR/VEYS W. A. Mc'CAUSLAND.

WELL DRILLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED mmzs, 1915.

Patented Jan. 2,1917.

2'SHEETSSHEET 2.

m: mum's II'YERS m. rnamumm. wAsnmc mu m r WTLLIAM A. MCCAUSLAND, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

WELL-DRILLING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

Application filed January 26, 1915. Serial No. 4,451.

Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have made certain new and useful Improvements in VVell-Drilling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in well drilling apparatus and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a tool for chilling wells, which may be assembled while the boring bit is in the ground, thereby adding as much weight to the tool as is necessary to accomplish the boring in an efiicient manner.

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel form of drill in which the bit is secured to the rope which operates the tool the latter being composed of sections arranged to be secured together, the rope pass ing through the centerofthe sections.

A further object of my invention is to provide novel means for joining the sections together.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification and the novel features of the device will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming part of this application in which similar reference characters indicate like parts in the several views and in which Figure 1 is a face view of the tool. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through one of the tool sections, Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the line 44 of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the rope clamping members, Fi 6 is an enlarged sectional view through the ends of adjacent sections, Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the locking plates and locking pins, Fig. 8 is a sectional view along the line 88 of Fig. 2, Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the upper tool section, Fig. 10 is a section along the line 101O of Fig. 9, Fig. 11 is a section along the line 1111 of Fig. 9, Fig. 12 is a perspective view of one of the intermediate tool sections, Fig. 13 is a sectional view along the line 13-13 of Fig. 14, Fig. 14 is a sectional view along the line 1414 of Fig. 1,-and Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the rope holding block and-means for moving the same.- f

As will be seen from Fig. -1 the tool is made up in sections, thelowermost section A being the one which carries the bit, the

upper section B being the one which carries.

the jar, while the intermediate sections 0 are for the purpose of adding weight to the tool. The section A carries a bit having a cutting edge 45 of the ordinary type. The rope or-cable 20 is secured to the lowermost section A in the manner shown in Fig. 14. In this figure it will-be seen that. toward the upper part of the section A there is a rectangular opening 46 arranged to receive a block- 47 of the shapeshown in Fig. 15. This block has a tapering recess 48 into which the knotted end'of the rope 20 may enter. The upper edge of the block is provided with a recess 49. The body-portion A is provided with the longitudinal slot 50extending in from one side, this longitudinal slot. being precisely similar to the slot '50 shown in the body portion B in Fig. 3. A locking plate 51 like that shown in Fig. 7 has a flange 52 at its bottom and openings 53 to receive wedge-shaped pins 54. As will be seen from Fig. 14 this locking-plate 51 when in position in the slot 50'holds the block 47 in position by the projection of the flange 52 into the recess 49.

' The lower section A, as well as each of the sections, has an upper tapering portion 55 which is arranged to enter a recess 56 in the adjacent section. The abutting ends of the sections are thus centered. Each of the sections is provided with a central bore 57 arranged to receive the rope or cable 20,"this bore being suliiciently large to give plenty of space to the rope as shown in Fig. 3. As will be seen from this latter figure the slot 50 extends from the outside of the section to the bore 57 so as to' permit the entrance of the rope into any one of the tool sections.

The pins 54 are arranged to pass through slots 58 which extend through a portion of the body of the sections A, B and C, but at right angles to the slot 50 (see Figs. 3 and 10). These pins are designed to be passed in from one sideand are then looked in posi tion by means of a latch member 59 which is held by a screw 60 or other suitable means (see Fig.

As will be seen from the drawings and particularly Fig. 1, the sections A, B and C are arranged so that the rope slots 50 which extend from the inner bore 57 to the outer side of the section are in alinement when the sections are assembled. Furthermore each section is provided near its ends with transverse slots 58 arranged to receive pins 5 L for holding the locking plate 51 which conmeets the ends of adjacent sections. In order to limit the inward movement of the locking plate 51 I provide shoulders 61 (see Fig. 3) against which the inner edges or" the looking plate 51 abut, thereby bringing their outer edges flush with the outer surface of the section.

The jar, as stated before, is carried by the upper section B. The construction of this section is as follows: The body portion B has the usual lower recess 56 and the upper tapered extension 55, the central bore 57 and the longitudinal slot 50. Fig. 9 shows a perspective view of the upper section B and from this figure and Fig. 11 it will be seen that the body portion is provided on opposite sides thereof with dovetail recesses 62 and 63 which are connected by a central recess 64. These recesses 62 and 63 extend for only a portion of the length of the section, that is to say, they terminate short of the ends of the section, as shown in Fig. 9, to limit the movements of the bumper which causes the jar necessary to the proper operation of the tool.

The bumper consists of two dovetail sections 66 and 67 which are of a length shorter than the recesses 62 and 63 (see Fig. 2) and which are held together by means of U bolts 68 (see Figs. 1 and l), a rope clamp being interposed between these members 66 and 67 so as to secure the rope to the slidable portions. This rope clamp consists of two members 69 like that shown in Fig. 5. These members are precisely alike and a description of one will sufiice for both. The member 69 is wedge shaped and is provided with a dovetail tongue 69 arranged to enter one of the dovetail slots 65, which are on the inner faces of the bumper members 66 and 67. On the opposite side the member is recessed at 69 in order to receive the rope 20. Laterally extending slots 69 are provided to permit the passage of the U bolts 68 and to permit the movement of the wedge-shaped clamping members 69 with respect to the body portion B. As will be seen from Fig. 3 the members 66 and 67 have recesses 66 and 67 provided with inclined walls against which the wedge-shaped clamping members 69 engage. The upper section B is secured to the rope and the jar is assembled as follows:

Consider Fig. 9. This represents the upper section withthe jar removed. The section is cast over the rope 20 which enters the slots 50, the section being pushed forwardly until the rope enters the circular bore 57 (see Fig. 10). The dovetailed tongues 69 of the wedge-shaped clamping members 69 are now placed in the groove 65 in the bumper members 66 and 67 and are moved downwardly to the bottom of the recesses 66 and 67 (see Fig. 2). The bumper members 66 and 67 with their assembled rope clamping members are now placed in the recesses 62 and 63 (see Fig. 11) from opposite sides and the U bolts 68 are passed through these members, nuts being secured at the ends of the bolts. The drawing up of these nuts will serve to clamp the rope tightly between the wedge-shaped clamping members 69, but will not interere with the movement of the bumper thus formed by the assembled parts 66, 69 and 67.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device the operation thereof may be readily understood.

Let usassume that-the tool has been lowered to the bottom of the hole to be drilled. Ateach upward movement of the rope in the drilling process the bumper is brought to the top of the recess formed by the cutaway port-ions 62 and 63 and this gives the tool a jar which tends to free the sharp corners of thebit, thereby preventing its sticking in the bore or hole which has been drilled. The downward movement, on the other hand, tends to give the tool an impetus for shattering the rock or earth through which the bit is working. As the work proceeds and it is necessary to add weight to the tool it may beaccomplished by merely adding on sections such as those shown at C. These sections are added in the manner already described by passing the rope through the slots 50 and then joining the section to the adjacent section by means of a locking plate similar to that shown at 51 in Fig. 7 with the exception that only the lower locking plate has the extension 52 vwhich holds in the rope securing block 47 as already described. It should be observed that the adding of the sections increasing the weight of the tool, does not necessitate any increase inthe height of the operating mechanism. Tnmost of the devices of this kind with which I am acquainted the tool can be only of a certain length and that length is dependent upon the height of the derrick. In the present'instance the tool may be of any length and of any weight up to the limits of the strength of the rope or cable which operates the tool.

I desire to call particular attention to the means for securing the jar to the rope. These means have already been described, but it will be observed that if there should be any tendency of the rope to slip the frictional contact of the rope will cause an upward movement of the wedge-shaped clamping members so as to crowd them still closer to the rope thus gripping the rope securely. There is therefore no danger of the rope becoming loosened from the constant jar during the operation of the tool.

The provision of a device for well drilling with means for adding sections to the tool without the necessity of providing a derrick forms one of the important features of my invention, for not only is a derrick not necessary but many other parts of the accompanying apparatus necessary with a derrick structure are eliminated. The apparatus for operating the tool is therefore economical to install.

The provision of a tool which may be put together in sections without the necessity of bolts or screws for joining the sections together while at the same time insuring against the detachment of one section from the other accidentally is also an important feature. It will be observed that the pins 54: are tapered so that a slight tap on the end of the pin will immediately free it and permit it to be withdrawn, thereby permitting the withdrawal of the locking plates 51 and the removal or replacement of the sections as desired. The rope or cable, as has been stated, is secured by means of the block 47, but when the locking plate 51 is removed the block d7 may also be removed by inserting a threaded member such as the screw 73 in the threaded opening 74 (see Figs. 1, ll and 15).

A further advantage gained by this con struction is that the central slot 57 being of ample size to receive the rope permits of the sections being suspended in perfect alinement so that when the tool sections are fastened together the effect is of a single integral tool having a bit to which the rope is connected and provided with a jar slidably carried by the tool to which the rope is also connected. I

It will be observed that the locking plates do not extend the entire length of the slot 50 but are of sufficient length to overlap the abutting ends of the sections. This provides room for any slack on the rope as the rope or cable is pushed down by the bumper.

It will be obvious that'bumpers of different lengths may be used with the same tool section and therefore in order to regulate the stroke bumpers of various length may be provided and assembled in the manner de- 4 2. In awell drilling apparatus, a flexible rope or cable, a boring bit, means for secur1ng said boring bit-to said cable, a series of sections adapted to be assembled after the bit has been secured to the cable, each of said sections-having a central longitudinal slot to permitthe passage of thecable, and means for securing the sections together.

3. A well drilling tool comprising a bit, means for securing a rope or cable to the bit, and a plurality of sections each having a longitudinal central bore arranged to receive the rope, and a longitudinal slot for permitting the entrance of the cable into the central bore, and means for joining the sections together.

LA well drilling tool comprising a bit, means for securing a rope or cable to the bit, and a plurality of sections each having a longitudinal central bore arranged to receive the rope, a longitudinal slot for permitting the entrance of the cable into the central bore, means for joining the sections together, said joining means comprising a locking plate arranged to enter the longitudinal slots of adjacent tool sections, and means for securing said locking plates to the tool sections. v

5. A well drilling tool comprising a bit, means for securing arope or cable to the bit, a' plurality of sections each having a longitudinal central bore arranged to receive the rope, a longitudinal slot for per mitting the entrance ofthe cable into the central bore, means for joining the sections together, said joining means comprising a locking plate arranged to enter the longitudinal slots of adjacent tool sections, and taper pins for securing said locking plates to said tool sections.

6. In a well drilling tool, a bit comprising a cutting portion, a body portion having a recess extending inwardly from'one face thereof, a block arranged to enter said recess, said block being provided with a tapering bore for receiving the knotted end of a cable or rope, the end of the body portion opposite the cutting end being provided with a central longitudinal bore to permit the passage of the rope or cable, a longitudinal slot extending inwardly and communieating with said central bore, and means adapted to enter said longitudinal slot for retaining said block in position.

7 In a well drilling tool, a bit comprising a cutting portion, a body portion havinga recess extending inwardly from one face thereof, a block arranged to enter said recess, said block being provided with a tapering bore for receiving the knotted end of a cable or rope, the end of the body portion opposite the cutting end being provided With a central longitudinal bore to permit the passage of the rope or cable, a longitudinal slot extending inwardly and communicating with said central bore, means adapted to enter said longitudinal slot for retaining said block in position, said last named means comprising a locking plate having a flange adapted to project beyond the portion of said block, and means for retaining said locking plate in position.

8. In a boring tool, a plurality of sections, one of said sections having a body portion provided with a cutting member at one end and having a reduced portion at the other end, said body portion having means including'a removable block for securing a rope to the body portion, the adjacent section being provided with a recess arranged to receive said reduced portion, and means including a locking plate adapted to overlap the ends of the adjacent sections for securing the sections together.

9. In a-boring tool, a plurality of sections,

the lowermost of said sections being provided with a bit, means for securing the bit to a cable, an upper section having a movable bumper, means for securing said bumper to said cable, and an intermediate section provided with a central bore for receiving a cable, and means for joining all of said sections together.

10. In a boring tool, a plurality of sections, the lowermost of said sections being provided with a bit, means for securing the bit to a cable, an upper section having a movable bumper, means for securing said bumper to said cable, an intermediate section provided with a central bore for receiving a cable, and means for oining all of said sections together, said intermediate section being removable from said cable independently of said bit and said upper section.

11. In a well drilling tool, a plurality of sections, each of said sections being provided with a central bore, and alongitudinal slot extending inwardly from the outer surface of the section and communicating with the central bore, means for securing the lowermost section to a cable, and means for securing the adjacent sections together.

12. In a boring tool, a plurality of sections, means for joining said sections together, one of said sections being provided with a bit, means for securing a cable to said bit, each of said sections being provided with a longitudinal bore for the passage of the cable, and one of said sections being provided with a bumper having a limited movement and constituting a jar, and means for securing said bumper to said cable.

13. In a boring tool, a plurality of sections, means for joining said sections together, one of said sections being provided with a bit, means for securing a cable to said bit, each of said sections being provided with a longitudinal bore for the passage of the cable, and one of said sections being provided with a bumper having a limited movement and constituting a jar, means for securing said bumper to said cable, said last named means comprising a pair of wedgeshaped members arranged to grip the rope, and a pair of impact members movable relatively to the body portion of said section, said wedgesshaped members being carried by said impact members.

14. In a boring tool, a plurality of sections, means for joining said sections together, one of said sections being provided with a bit, means for securing a cable to said bit,.each of said sections being provided with a longitudinal bore for the passage of the cable, and one of said sections being provided with a bumper having a limited movement and constituting a jar, means for se curing said bumper to said cable, said lastnamed means comprising a pair of wedgeshaped members arranged to grip the rope, a pair of impact members movable relatively to the body portion of said section, said wedge-shaped members being carried by said impact members, means for securing said impact members together, and means carried by said body portion for guiding the impact members.

15. In a boring tool, a plurality of sections, each of saidsections being provided with a tapering recess at one end and a tapering extension at the other end arranged to enter the recess of the adjacent section, means for joining thesections together, one of said sections being provided with dovetail slots on opposite sides of the body portion and having a rectangular recess connecting said dovetail slots, a dovetail impact member arranged to enter each of said dovetail slots, a pair of wedge-shaped clamping members disposed in the rectangular recess and being slidably connected with said dovetail impact members, said wedge-shaped members being recessed on their adjacent faces for the reception of a rope, and means for forcing said dovetail members and said wedge-shaped members against said rope for clamping the latter.

16. In a boring tool, a plurality of sections, each ofsaid sections'being provided with a'tapering recess at one end and a tapering extension at the other end arranged pact member arranged to enter each of said dovetail slots, a pair of Wedge-shaped clamping members disposed in the rectangular recess and being slidably connected with said dovetail impact members, said Wedge-shaped members being recessed on their adjacent faces for the reception of a rope, and means for forcing said dovetail members and said Wedge-shaped members against saidrope' for clamping the latter, said dovetail impact members being of a shorter length than said dovetail recesses, thereby permitting a pivotal movement of the impact members.

WILLIAM A. MoCAUSLAND.

Witnesses:

L. A. STANLEY, SoLoN C. KEMON.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 1 

